“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” — Gal 5:16-26

John Wesley said some 300 years ago that the Church of England had ceased to preach against sin and begun to preach about social programs. This was the very reason that he and others began the Methodist movement that became the Methodist Church. Wesley and his followers preached repentance from sin and holiness.

It is a tragedy that many denominations have gone the way of the Church of England. We have, to a great degree, ceased to preach against sin. Someone once asked Wesley if he thought that the Methodist Church would ever die. He replied that he did not think so, but that he was concerned that it would become a cold dead sect. I believe that this is what is happening across denominational lines, our failure to call sin, sin, has watered down most preaching to the point that it is meaningless.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ declares that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23]. Pastors are charged to preach repentance for the remission of sins, “How will they hear without a preacher…” [Romans 6:10] as did the Preacher who paved the way for Jesus ministry, John the Baptist [Mark 1:4]. John preached repentance; there need be no repentance unless there is sin.

Rev. Bobby Thornhill is a retired pastor.